NHS boss Sir David Nicholson criticises ULHT "gagging order" on former chief executive Gary Walker
NHS boss Sir David Nicholson yesterday criticised the gagging order placed on former United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust chief executive Gary Walker.
Mr Walker has claimed the confidentiality agreement which he signed when he was sacked by the trust prevented him from raising concerns about patient safety.
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Gary Walker, former United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust chief executive.
The trust has claimed the order only prevented him from speaking about the terms of his employment.
Speaking at the Health Select Committee yesterday, Mr Nicholson said such orders should not be used.
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"It is completely and utterly unacceptable," he said.
"I would never sanction anything of the sort."
He added even though ULHT "bitterly contested" Mr Walker's version of events, he still found the incident unacceptable.
"I have made it absolutely clear that it is unacceptable and also illegal for organisations to gag people for issues around patient safety and improving services to patients."
The NHS chief executive went on to further criticise the letters sent by ULHT's lawyers to Mr Walker ahead of an interview on a BBC Radio 4 programme.
"The response of the trust was wrong," he added.
"They shouldn't have got their lawyers to write to him to say he shouldn't talk about that compromise agreement.
"He was absolutely right and free and proper to speak out."
Gary Walker is due to speak at the hearing.
Comments
by Pete67
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 6:21PM
“'concerns about patient safety' - - - What patient safety means makes me wonder. If someone didn't feed or give their baby liquid they'd end up in prison, but almost daily we hear about the 'care pathway' where some patients are neither fed nor watered to speed up their dying. Is this not just as cruel as doing it to a baby. If they are so keen on them dying why not just give them an overdose of painkiller as either way to me it adds up to murder.”